Commercial and residential activity has been at a fever pitch for some time in the Desert Ridge area, near the Loop 101 and State Route 51.

There's plenty of room for more development, however.

Desert Ridge Superblock 1H, a 26-acre chunk of land, will go on the auction block May 31. The Arizona State Land Department will open the bidding at $20 million for the vacant parcel at the northeast corner of 56th Street and the Deer Valley Drive alignment.

If that's too much of a stretch for the pocketbook, then check out the 78 acres available at Happy Valley Road and Lake Pleasant Parkway. Bidding will start at $9 million for that parcel the same day.

The property includes a 10-story, 101,000-square-foot office building that was vacant at the time of the sale. It's expected to be converted into a hotel. A three-story, 27,000-square-foot office building is fully occupied by Mesa Air Group. The remaining two-story office building is vacant, but slated to remain as office space.

CB Richard Ellis handled both sides of the transaction.

For more: www.cbre.com.

Fringe benefit views

Employees of three Valley companies may consider their new work spaces part of the fringe benefit program. They'll soon be enjoying views of Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park from some of the Valley's choicest Class A office space.

The 300,000-square-foot, 12-story office building near Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway is one of several components of SunCor Development Co.'s high-profile Hayden Ferry Lakeside mixed-use project that includes chi-chi residential condominiums and a soon-to-be-constructed luxury boutique hotel.

More views

The views also will be a major selling point for a three-story, 50,000-square-foot office building to be built at 5055 E. Washington St., Phoenix.

Irgens Development Partners, based in Milwaukee, Wis., is developing the 2.3-acre site northeast of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Butler Design Group of Phoenix has been retained as the project architect.

According to a news release, tenants will have panoramic views of Tovrea Castle, Camelback Mountain and the Pap≠a≠go Buttes.

Jim Fijan and Jerry Roberts of CB Richard Ellis are the listing brokers. The offices are expected to be completed by spring 2008.